Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
- KJV Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
- NKJV “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
- NASB “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves.
- NLT “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus sends His disciples into danger like sheep among wolves, urging shrewd yet innocent conduct. They must combine wisdom with harmlessness amid hostility.
Overview
Anticipating opposition, Jesus describes His followers as vulnerable sheep surrounded by predatory wolves. They are to be 'wise as serpents'—prudent and discerning—yet 'harmless as doves'—pure and without malice. This balance of shrewdness and integrity marks faithful discipleship in a hostile world, reflecting the gentleness and wisdom of the Shepherd who sends them.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Phil 2:15so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world
- Luke 10:3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
- 1 Cor 14:20Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
- Col 4:5Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.
- Eph 5:15–17Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
- Rom 16:18–19For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
- Acts 20:29I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
- Luke 21:15For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
- 2 Cor 11:3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
- 2 Cor 11:14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
- Gen 3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
- 1 Th 5:22Abstain from every form of evil.
- Col 1:9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
- 2 Cor 1:12And this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
- 2 Cor 8:20We hope to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift.
- 1 Th 2:10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed.
- Gen 3:13Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 10:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.